Day (Hemera)
Hemera was the Protogenos (primeval goddess) of the day. She was a daughter of Erebos (Darkness) and Nyx (Night) and the sister of Aither (Light). In the evening, her mother Nyx drew her veil of darkness between the aither and the aer to bring night to man. In the morning, Hemera dispersed these mists, revealing the shining blue aither of day. Night and day were regarded as quite independent of the sun in the ancient cosmogonies. Hemera was closely identified with Hera, the Queen of Heaven, and Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. However, Hesiod appears to regard her more as the divine substance of day rather than as an anthropomorphic goddess. - Theoi.com
Translated title: Day
Oil on canvas 81 3/8 x 42 1/2
Private collection
© William Pitcher 2006
36x54 inches pigmented ink print on canvas with several layers of varnish. The actual image size is 39x57 wrapped around the edges of heavy-duty stretcher bars . Meticulous attention has been paid to detail (see the crop below)
Typically, each image consists of 15-20 photographic pieces and countless layers. Even working with PhotoShop's large file format (which allows me to save files larger than the 2 gigabyte limit) work is spread across several files until I can amalgamate and flatten components.
2 1/4 sq. inches - 0.1 % of the surface
O keen pellucid air! nothing can lurk
Or disavow itself on this bright day;
The small rain-plashes shine from far away,
The tiny emmet glitters at his work;
The bee looks blithe and gay, and as she plies
Her task, and moves and sidles round the cup
Of this spring flower, to drink its honey up,
Her glassy wings, like oars that dip and rise,
Gleam momently. Pure-bosom’d, clear of fog,
The long lake glistens, while the glorious beam
Bespangles the wet joints and floating leaves
Of water-plants, whose every point receives
His light; and jellies of the spawning frog,
Unmark’d before, like piles of jewels seem!
- Charles Turner 1808-1879
